Cooking meat threaded onto a stick over a fire has to go back to caveman days, when Oog and Og threaded chunks of mastodon or raptor onto green sticks. How they dealt with the rest of the beasts, I couldn't tell you. But over the centuries, just about every culture has cooked meat chunks on a stick over fire. Americans refer to these as kebabs, the shortened name of Middle Eastern shish kebabs, which were probably the initial encounter with the dish for many of us. Every ethnic group has its own name, but the international popularity of kebabs has no language barriers, and for good reason: The tenderest cuts of boneless meat are used, so they are one- or two-bite size and fast-cooking.

A hunk of meat, a stick to spear it and an open fire. Cooking began this way long before recorded history and it's never gone out of style. Homer wrote of skewering strips of lamb for broiling in The Odyssey. Medieval Turkish soldiers grilled meat on their swords in the field. Street vendors today thread little meatballs on slender rods and brown them over charcoal braziers in modern Morocco. The smoky perfume and savory, charred flavor of chunks of beef, lamb or chicken hot off the grill still thrill meat lovers at a primal level.

By Janet K. Keeler St. Petersburg Times and Food editor Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley contributed to this report, August 21, 2008

Meat on a stick. Perhaps the allure is ancestral, buried deep in our DNA. After all, prehistoric humans roasted their catch over flames. Whereas nearly everything else about our lives has changed since the days of early man, grilling skewered food has not. Perhaps that's why Brazilian churrascarias with their sword-and-meat-wielding waiters draw us to places like Chima in Fort Lauderdale or Gaucho Rodizio in Lighthouse Point. Whether you're entertaining a crowd or making dinner for family, kebabs are fitting food.

By Janet K. Keeler St. Petersburg Times and Food editor Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley contributed to this report, August 21, 2008

Meat on a stick. Perhaps the allure is ancestral, buried deep in our DNA. After all, prehistoric humans roasted their catch over flames. Whereas nearly everything else about our lives has changed since the days of early man, grilling skewered food has not. Perhaps that's why Brazilian churrascarias with their sword-and-meat-wielding waiters draw us to places like Chima in Fort Lauderdale or Gaucho Rodizio in Lighthouse Point. Whether you're entertaining a crowd or making dinner for family, kebabs are fitting food.

A La Turca is the latest restaurant to add a diverse flavor to downtown Hollywood. The Turkish eatery opened at 2027 Hollywood Blvd. in May, and has since been drawing people of many cultures who want to taste the kebabs and other cuisine, said Asli Unal, who manages the 77-seat restaurant. The owners are her mother and brother, Saniye Cakir and Ugur Unal. "People are getting to understand other cultures, other foods," Asli Unal said. "Years ago, they didn't want to try something different.

The outside of India Garden (a former Lums), looks a little grim in the light of day -- like many others in its genre. But the inside is abrupt with ambience transforming qualities. What sets this spot apart from others is a collection of winning recipes. Order the southern regional specialty, masala dosa ($6.95) and you'll think you've received it a burrito. Up close, you'll discover this crepelike affair is made from rice and lentils. But don't. let the light-as-air texture tool you. The lengthy geni is rolled with highly spiced potatoes and onions and served with sambhar (excellent lentil soup alive with chunks of smoky eggplant and potatoes)

ENTREE Lamb Kebabs From Xinjiang Region Xinjiang, a predominantly Muslim region of western China, is home to an ethnic group called the Uighurs that has more in common culturally with Central Asia than with most of China. Lamb is an exceedingly popular dish, and food often is seasoned with cumin and other spices rarely used in the cooking of China's more central and eastern regions. 1 medium yellow onion, quartered 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/4 cup pomegranate juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 1 tablespoon fine-chopped garlic 3/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 pound boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the onions until they form a paste.

SNACK/DESSERT Fruit Kebabs for Kids This is a great way to get kids to eat fruit without hiding it. 1 1/2 cups assorted fruit, cut into bite-size chunks (bananas, peach slices, apple chunks and grapes are good choices) 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 cup orange sherbet, softened Have the kids arrange the fruit on wooden skewers. In a medium mixing bowl, combine yogurt and honey; mix until blended. Add softened sherbet; mix thoroughly. Serve as a dip for the fruit or lightly drizzle on top of the kebabs.